Reborn Into Tomorrow
by Names.Of.The.Forgotten
Summary: Atem's soul is restless, placing everyone in the afterlife in jeopardy . Upon knowing this, he makes a choice to rejoin his friends in the World of the Living, but in doing so, he must place his soul, and the souls of Mariku and Bakura, in Yugi's hands; but not without a cost. All their souls are in peril as they journey to recover what they had left behind in the Afterlife.
1. Surprise

**Yugi's POV**

_Yugi, you must wake up._

Yugi blinked. He didn't want to, he had just gotten to sleep.

_Yugi, please. _

Yugi sighed, and opened his eyes. To his shock, he wasn't in his bedroom, he was floating in a black, empty space.

"W-who's there?" Yugi called out.

A figure then began to appear before him. _Yugi, what I'm about to tell you is very important, and it is vital that you listen to what I have to say. You must be cautious of what you say to others…_

Yugi looked up at the figure, whom he'd just recognized as Horakhty. He was a little startled at her appearance, though, because he hadn't had any more adventures or interaction with the Egyptian world ever since... Yami.

"S-sure..."

She looked down at him with a serious gaze. _What I tell you now is vital. Vital to King Atem's survival._

"Atem!?" Yugi exclaimed, shocked. "W-What... Is there anything I can do to help? If there is, please, tell me!"

_Hush, little one. It will be alright. If you do this correctly, he will live a fine life._

"W-what do you mean? Isn't he in the afterlife?"

There was a pause then. She closed her eyes briefly, before opening them again.

_This, I cannot tell you. You must see it for you to understand..._

Before Yugi could object, there was a bright flash, causing his eyes to shut until the light died down. Horakhty stood beside him now, and he was now looking at a very beautiful place. They were outdoors, by the looks of it. Green grass, hills, trees; and a waterfall. There were many flowers and birds, as well. It was like a paradise that he'd never seen before, yet, there was a type of uneasy feeling coursing through him. Almost like something was about to happen, but he didn't know where the feeling came from.

"Is this the afterlife?" Yugi guessed. Horakhty nodded, _you must watch the events that follow._

When Yugi scanned the hills and trees, he saw nothing. But two figures by the waterfall caught his attention. One had spiky hair and golden bangs, while the other had brown hair.

_Mana and King Atem._ Horakhty said. Yugi nodded; he'd faintly recognized Mana, but she was different. She didn't dress the way she did when he'd seen her in the pharaoh's memories. She was very beautiful, and she had on shorts and a white tank top, while Atem was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. Unusual, but fitting for the afterlife.

Atem was sitting on a fairly large rock, and was being sprayed by the mist. Mana sat down next to him, looking oddly quiet.

"Can they see or hear us?" Yugi suddenly asked as he inched closer to the waterfall where the two were. Horakhty followed him, with a brief shake of her head, but then nodded towards the two. _Watch_ was all she said.

Yugi turned to Atem and his childhood friend, Mana. "Atem..." Mana had started, "Please, tell me what is wrong. You seem... lonely."

Atem sighed, "Normally I would deny that... but, I find my thoughts wandering to other times..."

Mana placed a hand on his shoulder, "What are you thinking about? You are the only person I have ever felt uneasiness come from in the afterlife..."

Atem chuckled briefly, "Uneasiness, huh? Yeah... that sounds about right..."

Mana looked sadly back at him, "What is it that makes you uneasy? This is the afterlife, and you should have no regrets or sorrows..."

"I don't," he replied.

"What, then?" She pressed.

A moment of silence passed between the two, and when he answered her, Yugi saw a flash of pain in her eyes. "Mana... I think back on the times I had with Yugi and the others... they were my friends... and I've been thinking... if this goes on much longer, I won't be able to rest peacefully... I'd do anything to see them again..."

Yugi couldn't help but feel torn with pity for Mana, and happiness for himself. Atem was still thinking of him and his friends, just as much they were thinking of him...

"Atem... I-I don't know what-"

"Perhaps, I may be of help..." another voice sounded. There was a light sparkle that came from the waterfall, and a figure then floated above the pool of crystal-clear water.

Yugi expected this figure to be a past figure of Horakhty, but he was wrong. It was someone else entirely. It was a woman that had appeared; she was wearing a long white silk dress that came down further than her legs. She was floating a few inches above the water, and her face was calm. She had long, wavy, white hair that came down as far as her dress, and she wore a silver circlet that was decorated with metal leaves. Her eyes were a silver and gold swirl of color, and she looked wiser than any other god he'd seen.

By her appearance,Mana was rather startled. "W-who are you?" Mana called out, inching behind Atem.

She gave a soft, small smile, "Do not be afraid; you should be privileged to be in my presence..."

Atem raised an eyebrow; he hadn't moved or flinched at the woman's appearance. "I have heard stories of you..." He began, his voice raised in equality, "Might you be the goddess they call Fate?"

She smiled, "Yes," she answered.

Mana gasped, "Only two people in the afterlife have ever seen you or heard you!" she exclaimed excitedly. Fate let Mana ramble on for a few seconds before she raised her palm.

"Please, I must speak," She interrupted, then she turned to Atem, floating down towards him. "Atem, are you aware of the situation you are in?" she asked.

Atem looked up, a bit confused, "Situation?"

"Your thoughts... what you had told your friend, here. Your soul has become restless, and is putting everyone in the afterlife in jeopardy."

Atem's eyes widened with worry, "Just me?" he asked.

She paused, "No... not just you. There are two others who are also restless, but not for the same reason."

Atem thought for a moment, "Is there anything I can do, then?" he asked.

Fate fell silent, and looked away. "You can not solve this easily," She warned; Yami nodded, "Anything. I can't have innocent people, as well as my friends here, be in danger,"

"She held up her hand again for silence, and then continued, "You have two choices, Atem, and it won't be an easy decision."

Atem nodded, and gestured for her to continue. "In order for your soul to rest soundly, you will either need to have all the friends you made in the world of the living, die, and come to the afterlife, or, you must be reborn."

Atem fidgeted, "Reborn?" he prompted questioningly.

"Being reborn is a huge risk," she explained, "You will be giving the fate of your soul to someone in the world of the living; it will then be up to them to restore you to the human form you take on at this moment. When reborn, you will live in the world of the living until you die again, but if done correctly, you will hold the age you were before you were imprisoned in the Millennium Items."

Atem looked deep in thought, processing this information. "And the catch?" he asked.

Fate blinked, "The catch... If the person can not restore you properly, or fails to restore you in the time given, your soul will be destroyed, and you, as well as any reincarnation you might have had, will disappear from the world forever, and you will become nothing."

Atem straightened up a little, "So, my choices here, are: kill everyone, or risk getting killed altogether, but have the chance to have a second life?"

"You understand well," Fate complimented.

Mana whimpered, "Atem... you can't leave..."

Atem swiveled around, "I will not allow myself to be killed, and I will not allow my friends to be struck down. I will be reborn, and I _will_ come back. Trust me."

Mana looked grief-stricken, and started to cry. "You have to come back!" she cried out, and launched into Atem's arms. Atem was a little taken aback, but hugged her.

"One more thing," Fate added, and Atem broke apart from Mana, awaiting her words. "There are two other souls. You must decide who to put your faith in. You must all be reborn by the same person."

Atem thought again, "Who are the other two?" he questioned.

"Mariku and Bakura," She answered simply; when Atem looked like he was about to say something, she cut him off, "And no, they are not in the Shadow Realm. I had played with them, and they deserve a second chance as well... which is why they were sent here, to the afterlife, and not the Shadow Realm."

"Oh..." was all he could say. "I hope Marik and Ryou won't mind this... I know it'll be hard for them to cope with... knowing their dark sides are back... well, not dark anymore, perhaps."

"You have made your decision on the Fate Holder?" Fate asked, "Marik? Or was it the boy, Ryou?"

Atem quickly shook his head, "N-no... no. Not them..." Fate nodded, "Then who is the Fate Holder?"

"Fate Holder..." Atem thought. "My choice, for the Fate Holder, shall be Yugi Muto. I trust him with my life, and I have faith that he will restore the other two without hesitation."

Fate gave a wide, genuine smile, "You made an excellent choice. I shall send a messenger, and you can start the journey in resurrection."

With Fate's final word, Horakhty immediately raised her hand, and a flash of light caused the scene to dissipate before Yugi's eyes. When he closed his eyes from the brightness, and opened them again, he was back in the same, dark void that he began in.

_Do you understand now? _ Horakhty asked, _Do you understand why King Atem needs your help?_

Yugi looked up at her, "Kind of... though, how am I supposed to restore three people?"

Horakhty laughed briefly, _that, young one, is rather complicated. I will help you along the way, so don't worry too much about that. Remember though, all three souls have been reborn, and they must be restored if they are to survive. It will be quite a challenge, and if just one were to be neglected... everything would fall apart, and their souls will crumble to dust. They would not be in the afterlife, and they would not be reborn. They would vanish into thin air, never to exist again._

Yugi's eyes widened in horror; he knew this already, but even then, it terrified him that he would make a mistake and lose them forever... but, not only that, a reincarnation, as well? He was a reincarnation of Atem... so wouldn't he be lost to? And Marik? And... Ryou?

"Am... Am I allowed to have help?"

_Yes, you may have help, but take great care in what you tell them. There are major risks involved, and it could put each of your lives in danger._ She warned.

Yugi nodded intently."Tell me what I have to do in order to restore them." he asked again.

_And, like I said, I will have to walk you through it step by step once you completed each task I have laid out for you. Only then will you be able to restore them correctly._

Yugi's eyes grew troubled then, "Well, how will I start?"

Horakhty merely smiled, and began to fade away.

"W-wait!" Yugi exclaimed, but it was already too late. She was gone.

**XXX**

Yugi woke with a start. He was surprised that it was one of those rare dreams that didn't have him dripping in sweat.

He quickly shook his head as he thought of his dream. It seemed to be morning already, and since it was a weekend, he didn't have to attend school, which he was grateful for.  
He rubbed his eyes, then got up from his place on his bed, and walked down the hall. He needed a shower, since he didn't take one yesterday. He'd been so busy helping his grandfather around the Game Shop, and helping Joey move into his new apartment where Tristan would become his roommate. He chuckled a little when he thought about how the two would get along in one home for that long... but then again, they'd been together for a long time, almost inseparable.  
Tea would be the one he missed more, though. She had moved to America almost a year and a half ago, and Yugi had talked to her almost every other day when they both had the chance. She was busy taking and giving dance lessons, and even had many recitals that she couldn't afford to miss. He couldn't remember the last time he had talked to her… the last time, he remembered her saying that she had lessons to give, to find a job, to find a home to live in… it was so much work for one person, and Yugi wondered if she had made any friends over there to help her with it all… Certainly American people were nice… right? He'd never been to America himself, and he didn't think it would be a good idea… He'd have to speak their language, which seemed difficult from all the English books he looked at when helping Tea study…

With all these thoughts running through his head, he found himself reeling with new concerns as he thought about what Horakhty had told him. He quickly got out of the shower and dressed himself before he could think about that.  
He needed to talk to his grandpa before he did anything else.

Before he could say anything though, his grandpa had raised his voice from downstairs. He wasn't talking to him, though, that was for sure.

**XXX**

**Atem's POV**

There was a giggle, and then there was a shoving sound, followed by an 'ow!'.

Atem rolled over, his mind foggy with sleep. Someone then shoved him, "Wake up, sleepy head!" someone yelled in his ear. Atem's eyes immediately snapped open, and he sat bolt upright in terror.

"Yay! He's awake!" another voice shouted in a crazy, deep voice.

When Atem looked up, there were two others with him, and one very tall, shiny figure. This seemed to quiet his jumping nerves, and make him feel more relaxed, though, he didn't know why.

"Are you sure he's ok?" one of them asked, looking up at the shiny person, whom Atem realized, was female.

"Yes, he is fine," The woman said in a soft, loving tone.

Atem had no idea where he was, _who_ he was, or if these people were his family. Were the two others his brothers? The tall, shiny woman, his mother? He had no idea, but he felt that, if he asked, he would get answers.

"Where am I? Who are you?" He began shakily; the other two responded as if it were a normal question.

"It's Bakura and Mariku, silly!" one of them leaned over, bright, crimson eyes staring down at him.

Atem felt a sense of familiarity, but it wasn't very strong. His mind, still clouded with fog, was telling him that these people were strangers; yet, how would it explain the safety he was experiencing? Was it the woman?

Atem looked up at the woman, and she leaned down and smiled at him. "Atem, I know you have a lot of questions, but don't worry, they will soon be answered. Right now, I will tell you that these two," she paused, pointing at the other two beside her, "Are your friends... you will be very best friends, and you will need to rely on each other in the future."

He seemed to think for a moment, "Do I have family?" he asked.

The woman paused, "You will find that out over time, but your guardian awaits you... he is here to look after you, and protect you."

Atem furrowed his eyebrows, "What about you?" he questioned.

She smiled, "My name is Horakhty... and, you may call me an old friend." she murmured to him. "But, for now, you must go see your guardian. He is waiting for you, and it is vital that you leave now, so that he doesn't worry."

"And... those two?" He asked.

Horakhty looked at where he pointed, and smiled again, "Bakura, Mariku," She called over. Once they were beside her, looking up with a curious gaze, she turned back to Atem.

She placed her hand on one of their shoulders. He had white hair, and was one that he recognized that had yelled in his ear, because of his crimson eyes. "This is Bakura," She introduced. She then placed her other hand on a slightly taller boy's shoulder. He had wild, blonde hair, and light purple eyes. "This is Mariku,"

Mariku took a step forward. "Wanna see what you look like?" He asked immediately, a wicked grin flashing over his features. "I was curious, and Bakura was, too, so I asked Horakhty if she'd give us one, and she did! Here," He pulled out the mirror from behind his back, and shoved it towards Atem, "Look!" he urged.

Atem glanced down at the mirror, and stared wondrously at it. He had tri-colored hair, and a similar spiky style, and bangs. He, too, had purple eyes, but they seemed a darker color than Mariku's. He had to wonder if Mariku was related to him... after all, it seemed likely, with the spiky hair and eye color. Bakura, he wasn't sure about. He had a little spiky hair as well, but it wasn't upright like his and Mariku's.

With all three fascinated with the mirror, Horakhty took the time to change their surroundings to a more familiar setting. Domino City. They were on the side walk, and not far from Yugi's Game Shop.

"There," Horakhty said, gaining the other's attention once again. She pointed to the Game Shop, "There, your guardian will be awaiting you. Treat him nicely, play fairly, and make it feel like home to you, for the time being." she said, then she gave them all a tiny push towards the shop.

Atem felt a little sad to be leaving the pretty lady, but he also felt it would be wrong to disobey her, so he kept walking. It also helped to have a little curiosity of who his guardian was, and what he looked like.

"Hey guys..." Mariku began, "I-I think there are toys in there!"

"Toys!?" Bakura shouted, almost seeming to blow a gasket by his sudden, overwhelming happiness.

Mariku nodded, and raced off; Bakura followed a split second later, leaving Atem behind. "Wait up!" He shouted, streaking after them.

Mariku and Bakura already seemed to burst into the shop, startling the person manning the store. It was some old guy, with spiky hair like his and Mariku's. As Atem passed, he slackened his pace, wondering if this person was their guardian. A few seconds later, and then he saw the look in the old mans eyes- terror. He was scared of them... so, this guy couldn't have been their guardian; Horakhty had said that their guardian was expecting them...

Did she point in the wrong direction? Did they even enter the right store? Atem was having second thoughts, and when the old man began to stumble on his words saying 'please don't touch that' or 'stay away from that, kids', Atem looked over at his friends. Mariku and Bakura were looking at the shelves.

Mariku was right though, there were a lot of toys. Atem couldn't resist going over to the two, and checking what they were looking at. Turned out, though, they weren't looking at anything specific, but merely commenting on what looked exciting or not. They were looking at items that looked clear, or foggy. The glass shelf... but, wasn't this shelf, and everything on it, breakable?

"Guys, we probably shouldn't-"

"Now you kids don't touch that," The guy with the white hair behind the counter said, voice tight. It sounded like he was trying hard not to yell, which looked pretty accurate from his stature.

Mariku and Bakura didn't pay any mind to the old man, but continued on with their browsing.

"Guys, really..."

_CRASH_

Atem stared at the floor in horror, and he heard the old man screech something about a 'glass chess set'. Atem didn't really know what something like that was, but he had a feeling he might find out...

"Please, guys-" Atem urged, but Bakura's fit of laughter cut him off. He really didn't think it was that funny...

**XXX**

**Yugi's POV**

"Yugi!" His grandpa called up, "Could you help me, please?"

Curiously, he made his way downstairs, and into the Game Shop.

"N-no! Please, don't touch that!"

"Grandpa?"

"Yugi! Those kids-" his grandpa pointed towards some shelves, "-If you know them, please tell them not to touch-"

_CRASH_

"Ah! My glass chess set!"

"Don't worry Grandpa, I'll take care of them." Yugi told him, patting his back.

He walked up to the shelves, where two of the three little kids were trying to reach up and grab something. The other was staring worriedly at the other two.

"Hey, kids-" Yugi began.

The one that was looking at the other two, swiveled his head around, and looked up at Yugi, with big, purple eyes.

Yugi froze. "Y-you..."

The other two turned around and saw what was going on, and ran over and dog piled the other child.

"H-hey!" Yugi shouted, still shocked.

"What?" One of the children asked, looking up at him.

When Yugi hesitated again, he turned right around, and began picking on the other two children.

Yugi drew in a breath, ready to shout.

"Atem! Bakura! Mariku! Stop, now!"

All three children immediately stopped in their tracks, and looked up at Yugi with scared, wide eyes.

Yugi felt his insides flip upside down. So... this was what Horakhty meant? That their souls, reborn now, would make them children... and he would have to look after them until they were changed back?

He had to deal with a child Atem, a child Bakura, and a child Mariku? Now he knew for certain what Horakhty meant, this really would be difficult... especially when he wouldn't be able to reason with their childish minds.

**XXX**

**Hope you all enjoyed this new story! I've been working very hard on it, and I can't wait for all of your opinions! :D**


	2. Visiting Old Friends

**Yugi's POV**

"Uh… please come with me, you can… play in my room if you want." Yugi said, scratching the back of his head, whilst staring over the children.

"Are you the person we're supposed to be with?" the kid Atem asked, looking up with wide, curious eyes. They were curious, unlike the other two, whose eyes were only full of fear. "That's what the Misses said," little Atem continued, "She said that we were supposed to come here, and our guardian would be there to watch us."

Yugi smiled, "Yes, I'm that person, Atem." He answered, figuring that the 'Misses' that he was referring to was Horakhty.

Mariku and Bakura's eyes softened, and became more joyous when this news was stated. "What's your room like?" Bakura asked excitedly. Mariku pushed him aside, "I want to get there first! I wanna see!" he shouted, a big smile on his face.

Yugi shook his head, laughing. "Just follow me, and you can all see."

The three children grouped up behind him, and as he passed the Game Shop counter, he gave his grandfather the 'I don't know, I need to figure this out' look.

His grandfather nodded warily, still glancing down at the three children with uncertain eyes.

Yugi's grandpa looked in deep thought as they all passed, and made their way up the stairs. Yugi needed to make some calls… he would need his friends' help again. There was no way he could take this whole adventure into his own hands by himself… Especially when he had to look after three 5 year olds while doing so.

"Woah! It's so big!" Bakura exclaimed as they all entered Yugi's room.

"And look at all these toys!" Mariku exclaimed, racing over to grab a toy train that happened to be lying around.

Atem looked up at him, seeming to ask permission through his eyes.  
Yugi nodded, and Atem raced off, tackling Bakura from behind, playfully.

Seeing as how they were busy with each other, he turned and sat on his bed. He grabbed his laptop; it was fairly new, since he had needed it for school. First, he must contact Tea. Maybe she would come back to Japan if he were to explain it to her first…

He logged onto Skype, something that Joey had insisted he get, which he was grateful for. He had also heard that it started in America as well… but he wasn't sure on that part.  
He was very surprised, and happy, that Tea was online. It wasn't very often that he saw her on Skype, since she was always so busy with her dance, and her own life.

He quickly pressed 'video call' right when Bakura seemed to smack Mariku in the face for taking his toy away from him.  
Yugi's head snapped up when he heard a cry come from Mariku.  
"Hey! That isn't fair, Bakura!" Atem cried out, tackling Bakura as Mariku sat there and cried.

"Guys!" Yugi shouted, "Please don't fight! And Mariku… are you ok?" he asked, briefly glancing at the computer screen, which was still ringing. With a sigh, he moved it aside, and got up.

He walked over to Mariku, and kneeled before him. He touched the spot where Mariku had been hit, careful not to hurt him. "Are you ok?" he asked softly.

"Yugi! Bakura's hitting me!" Atem suddenly screeched.

He whirled around, "Bakura, please stop!"

"But he took my toy away!" He argued.

"Bakura, please. It isn't yours. You have to share."

"But-"

"No buts, you have to." Yugi said, trying to make it sound like an order, but failing miserably.

Bakura sighed, and broke apart from Atem, giving him the toy reluctantly, which Atem took and voiced that they should play with it together. Even when he was a child, he still seemed so grown up.

"Uh…" came a voice, "Yugi? Is there… any reason why I'm looking at a wall, and not you?"

Yugi's eyes suddenly lit up, "Tea!" he exclaimed excitedly, letting Mariku be by himself as he sniffed away his tears.

He quickly made his way to his bed, and grabbed at his computer.

"Ah! There you are!" She said, smiling.

"Tea! I have something to-"

"Wahhhhhh! Yugi!" Mariku screamed; his attention was once again interrupted. "They won't share!" he exclaimed.

Yugi sighed, "Guys, the toy is for all of you. Please share," He repeated, then looked back at Tea, whom was now giggling.

"Sounds like a Daycare over there," She said teasingly.

Yugi sighed, "N-no… It's really important." He said, hoping that Tea would see the seriousness in both his tone and facial expression.

She did, and she quickly became serious, "What is it, Yugi?"

"Well…" He began, "I… It's just that… Well…You see…"

"Spit it out, Yugi." She encouraged.

Yugi hesitated, "M-maybe you better just see…" He suggested.

"Give it back!" Bakura shouted.

"No! It's mine! I was playing with it first!"

"What about me? I've waited for a while, can I have a turn?"

"I barely had time with it!"

"No! You've had it for longer than both of us together!"

"Yugi said to share!"

Yugi sighed, and moved the computer so the screen was facing the three children, who were all fighting over the toy train.

Yugi heard Tea's breathing hitch.

"Yugi… Who's that? Is it your girlfriend?" Atem asked, standing with wide, curious eyes.

"N-no…" Yugi answered.

Tea must have waved at Atem, because he hesitantly waved back at her. The other two saw that Atem's attention was diverted, so they stood up too, to see what it was he was looking at.

Mariku got up close to the screen, so only his eyeball was what Tea could see, "Who are you?" He asked.

Tea gasped a little, "U-uh… My name is Tea…" She explained, unsurely. "W-what's your name?" She asked.

"Mariku!" He exclaimed excitedly, "And that over there, with the white hair is Bakura!" He said, a goofy grin on his face as he backed up a little.

"That's nice," Tea said, smiling. "Mariku," she added, "Would it be alright to talk to Yugi again? I need to talk to him about some other stuff while you three play."

"Uh-huh! He's right there!" He pointed towards Yugi's direction, which was behind the computer. Yugi quickly swiveled the computer around so that it was facing him again.

With a glance up at the three children, he said, "If you're careful, you can get into that big box right there. It has a whole bunch of toys you can play with."

All three eyes lit up with excitement, and they dove towards the big wooden cardboard box, trying to get dibs on what was coolest.

"Yugi, are those three really…?"

Yugi nodded seriously, "And… Horakhty came to me last night… she told me that I had to restore them… and I don't think I can do this by myself…" He said, then quickly added, "Please come back to Japan to help." And squeezed his eyes shut, fearful of her answer.

There was a long pause, "Have you talked to Joey and Tristan yet? Ryou and Marik, too, perhaps?"

Yugi shook his head, "You're the first person I've told…"

There was a long string of silence, then a sigh. "Yugi, I have a dance recital coming up that I have to prepare for, and I can't really afford to miss it…" She said, almost guiltily.

Yugi looked almost _too_ disappointed, which was exactly what he felt. He didn't like the fact that he would have a whole adventure without Tea… and with his luck, Joey or Tristan won't be coming either… so, virtually, he might be on his own… This might be the first adventure he'd have without all of his friends. He always did everything with them, and he wanted it to stay like that.

"Yugi… I'll see what I can do…" She said, not sounding very hopeful.

Yugi nodded miserably, "I-it's alright, Tea… You don't have to come…"

Tea smiled sadly, "Uh… I do have one question, though," She added. When Yugi looked up at her curiously, she continued. "If their souls were reborn, wouldn't they look like they did the first time? I mean, the way they were when they lived in Ancient Egypt?"

Yugi thought a moment, but shook his head, "Horakhty told me that they had to be restored to what they once were before they entered the afterlife… so I assume she meant that, if they were to be in our era, this would be what they would look like…"

"Ah, that makes sense… Well… I guess you should probably inform Joey, Tristan, and the others about this… they'd want to know." She said.

"Y-yeah… probably… so… I'll talk to you later?"

With a nod from Tea, and a click of the laptop, he got up. With Joey and Tristan, he would need to see them in person. A phone call wouldn't be enough to convince them of what has happened, and they would probably want to see it to believe it, anyway.

He quickly texted Ryou that he wanted to speak with him, and that he should go over to Joey and Tristan's house, then he called Marik. Marik was an interesting case.

"Hello? Is this Marik?"

"Yes… who is this?"

"It's Yugi Muto."

"Oh! Yugi! How's it going?"

"Uh… great… but, Marik, I need to talk to you. It's really important."

"Ok. Shoot."

"W-well… it would be better if we talked in person… I have Ryou, Joey and Tristan all in one place, and I'd like for you to be there as well…"

"Can I know what this is about?"

"Well… I guess… Mariku a-"

"Mariku!? Is he back!?"

"W-well…"

"No way in _hell_ am I going to meet. I'll be damned if I have to see that bastard one more time…"

"But, Marik, please-"

"No buts! I really can't deal with him…"

"Please, Marik, if you'd let me finish. Mariku, Bakura and Yami are all here, but… not as you'd think."

There was a pause, "so…?"

"They're 5 years old, Marik."

A choking sound was made on the other side of the line; it sounded a lot like Marik choking on water. "W-what?!" he gasped, coughing all the while.

"You'd be surprised… they didn't even know who I was until I heard Horakhty had told them that I would be the one to take care of them…"

"W-wha…? Horakhty? Wha-"

"Marik, this is what the meeting was for. I was going to explain everything once everyone was there."

"Oh… now?"

"Yeah. If you can."

"I'll be there… um… where?"

"Oh, Joey and Tristan's house."

With a 'right,' and a click, Yugi hung up the phone. His gaze quickly traveled to Atem, whom he had just realized had been staring at him the whole time.

Yugi walked over to Atem's place by Yugi's closet, and bent down. "What is it?" he asked.

Atem's eyes looked up at him. He looked so innocent, like most kids were, but… it was somehow different. It was like his real self was being pushed to the side, almost like another personality had taken him over.

"Why are you talking to so many people about us? Horakhty said that it would probably be just us three and you…"

Yugi stared into his eyes for a few moments, almost entranced by his innocent look. "Uh… I wanted you to meet new friends." He answered.

Atem shook his head, "You're lying. We're too much, aren't we?"

Yugi's eyes widened, and he quickly shook his head, "No, no you aren't. It's just… so nice to see you again. I haven't seen you in so long, and I wanted everyone to know that I had you three back…"

Atem's innocent, purple eyes gazed up at him for a few moments, "Oh…" was all he said. It sounded like he was still doubtful, which he could understand, but it wasn't like he could just tell him everything that happened. Really, what could a 5 year old do? Certainly not problem solve… Though, he would admit that Atem was the one that stood out the most of all three of them.

"Well," Yugi sighed, "Grab one toy that you'll be happy with for a while. We're going to a friend's house, and I want you to be happy while we talk."

"Talk about us," Atem corrected, looking up to see if he was correct. "Y-yeah…" Yugi nodded slowly. How it was that Atem could guess this, mystified him.

"I call the train!" Bakura shouted. Mariku hadn't seemed like he was paying attention, and his head snapped up when Bakura had taken dibs on the train. "What?" He questioned.

"We're going on a trip!" Bakura said excitedly, "And we get to bring one toy. I already called the train, so you can't have it." He stated matter of factly.

Mariku huffed, "Fine. I call the toy car."

Yugi turned to Atem, who hadn't moved. Atem was looking at him again, with that curious little gaze of his. "Would… would it be alright if I sat with you and the others?" he asked quietly.

Yugi blinked, "You don't want to bring a toy just in case?"

Atem shook his head, "No… I think I'll be ok. And if I want to play, I'll ask if Mariku and Bakura could share with me…"

Yugi paused, "Ok… if you want to."

Yugi then gathered the three up and ushered them down the stairs to the Game Shop.

"Grandpa, we're headed over to Tristan and Joey's place… Will you be fine here by yourself for a while?"

His grandfather nodded, "You go ahead. I'll be fine. It isn't like you leaving would jeopardize the Game Shop or anything…"

With a nod, he slipped into his shoes that were by the entrance. "See you later Grandpa!" he called as he made his way out, and to the streets with the three kids right behind him.

* * *

"Joey! Tristan! Are you there?" Yugi called as he pounded on the front of their door. It had turned out that he had over slept a little that morning when he had the dream with Horakhty. It was already almost 3 in the afternoon, and he didn't think to grab any lunch… but he supposed he could wait until dinner time… if the the other three were fine with that… he wasn't sure though. They might have to have dinner over at Joey and Tristan's house.

"It's really important, and I'm sorry I didn't get a hold of you before we came over." Yugi added.

The door unlocked, and Yugi was met by Marik, whom had gestured for him to enter. "Everyone's waiting for you in the living room." He stated.

Yugi nodded, but before he could take a step, both Bakura and Mariku started pushing him in. "Go!" they shouted together, wanting to get in as soon as possible.

Marik looked at the three children behind him, shocked to his core. "M-ahhhh!" he started, but was cut off as Bakura pushed past Yugi and jumped on top of him. "Hi! Who are you? My name's Bakura!" He said happily. Marik had fallen to the ground, and was looking up into Bakura's childish eyes. "Uh… M-Marik…"

"That's funny! You kind of have the same name as me!" Mariku shouted, dog piling on top of Bakura and Marik. "And you even look like me!" he added.

"Don't leave me out!" Atem squealed, and launched himself on top of Mariku. By now, Marik was groaning in pain. "Oh Gods Yugi, you brought them?"

"Well… I couldn't very well leave them at home… if they were to get bored, they would ruin the Game Shop…"

Marik rolled his eyes, and tried to push the three children off of his stomach, "Guys, I need to get up…"

"Sorry!" Atem squeaked, quickly rolling off of him. Mariku sighed, saying something like, 'but it was fun' under his breath. As for Bakura, he made a whimpering sound, but rolled off.

Marik then stood up, and brushed himself off. "Come on, this way." He said to all four of them. "Ryou's already here, but I didn't tell any of them what you had told me… so…" he glanced at the children again.

Yugi nodded, "Alright guys, let's go-"

But they were already gone; they had charged on ahead, and towards the living room, where everyone was waiting. There was a small, startled cry; Marik and Yugi took one look at each other, and ran down the hall and into the big room.

Turned out, it was Ryou whom had cried out in alarm. He was staring at Bakura with big worried eyes, and Bakura seemed to shrink into the carpet in fear. When Yugi appeared, all three children ran to him, and hid behind him, their toys lay forgotten in the center of the room.

Joey and Tristan seemed shocked too, especially when they were eyeing Atem when all three had ran into the room.

Joey stood up, "Pharaoh!" He shouted happily, then turned to Tristan, whom also got up. "We're so glad to see you dude! I'm a little confused on how you got so small though…" Tristan added.

Ryou then stood up. "Bakura? And… Yami Marik?" Ryou turned to Marik, "Marik… what's your Yami doing here? Wasn't he in the Shadow Realm?"

Marik shrugged, "That's what I thought… but… apparently not…"

Ryou then grew a little more troubled as he eyed Bakura, "And… Bakura…" he said, a little bit of fear filling his gaze.

Joey walked over and patted his back reassuringly, "it's ok. He's small and you're big. There isn't anything he can do to you right now, so-"

"Stop guys!" Yugi shouted, "Please, you're scaring them…" he added, looking down at three frightened faces. Atem was whimpering, Mariku was on the verge of tears, and Bakura was already balling his eyes out into the side of Yugi's pants.

Everyone turned to look at him, curiously; all of them except Atem, Mariku and Bakura.

"Please… don't jump to conclusions before I explain… they're confused as it is, and I don't want them to be scared."

Joey crossed his arms, "Can you really explain it, Yugi?" he asked, gesturing to the children hiding behind him.  
"Yes, if you'd let me…"

There was silence that followed his words. He looked down hesitantly at the children; Bakura was being calmed down by Atem, and Mariku was just staring off into space- or so Yugi thought, though he looked like he was staring at Marik.

"Why don't you get your toys?" Yugi suggested to the three of them, "You can play in here if you want, or you can go to Joey and Tristan's game room-"

"Game room!?" Mariku squealed, looking up at Yugi excitedly. Bakura instantly forgot he was crying, and perked up as well. "Can we!?" He nearly screamed at Joey for permission.

"Sure…" Joey answered, a little taken aback. "Please don't break anything though…" he added.

"We won't!" Mariku said, and both Mariku and Bakura raced off down the hall, searching for the room. Only Atem was left, now.

"Pharaoh, why don't you-"

"What's a pharaoh?" Atem interrupted, obviously intrigued.

Joey's eyes snapped to Yugi's, but Yugi just signaled to go with it.

"Uh… a Pharaoh is like a king…" he answered dumbly.

"A king?" Atem thought, putting a finger to his little chin in thought, "Why are you calling me a king?" he questioned.

Joey looked at Tristan, but Tristan shrugged. "D'uh… It's just a nickname… don't worry about it…"

"Oh…" Atem thought, then turned to look up at Yugi, "Will… will I still be able to sit out here with you?"

"If you want to," Yugi replied. With this, Atem smiled a little.

Joey, Tristan and the others all sat down on the couch. Yugi would have, as well, but there wasn't any more room, so he took to sitting on the floor. Surprisingly, Atem didn't sit beside him. Atem took to sitting in Yugi's lap.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, then Ryou began.

"So… Yugi… about Bakura, Mariku, and… Atem…"

"Uh, right," Yugi started, "Well, it's a little hard to be too specific… It all happened last night… or this morning… or… I don't know really when it first happened,"  
A few nods of understanding, and he continued again, "Horakhty came to me in a dream, telling me that Mariku, Bakura and Atem's spirits had been reborn. She had told me that I needed to restore them to what they were before they went to the afterlife."

"Reborn?" Marik spoke up.

When Yugi nodded, Ryou then became puzzled, "So… if they're reborn… does it mean that all their memories are gone?"

Yugi quickly shook his head in disagreement, "No. We have to restore them, like I said. It's the only way to save their souls…"

"Save their souls?" Joey asked, now looking intrigued.

"Well, all I can say is that their souls are at stake here, if we can't restore them…"

"Restore what exactly?" Tristan asked.

Good question… Yugi didn't really know that either, though, he wished Horakhty had elaborated a little more on that part. Eventually he gave a shrug. "She had told me that She'd help us along the way, I guess." This was true. She said she would walk them through it step by step. But, he never forgot about it being a cautious in what he said; he didn't know any other way to tell his friends everything that happened without them becoming involved in one way or another, though.

"How do you know she'll help us?"

Yugi shrugged, "All we can do for now, I guess, is to look after them…"

"You mean _you_ are going to look after them…" Marik said warily. "I still don't want to take any chances… and if I have to restore Mariku to the monster he was… I can't do it."

Yugi bit his lip worriedly, "But… if he can't be restored, then the others-"

Yugi felt a thump on his chest; when he looked down, he saw the Atem had dosed off, his head resting comfortably on his chest. Yugi smiled a little at the sight. Atem never slept in his presence, or if he did, he was unconscious, or unaware that Yugi was awake. He'd never actually caught the spirit _sleeping_ though.

"He's asleep…" Ryou whispered.

Yugi nodded, "I think it's about time for us to go, though." He added. It seemed like only minutes that he had sat down to talk with them, but small talk can be deceiving. It was 3 when he arrived, and it was probably around 5 or 6. He'd probably wake them when they got home to ask if they were hungry. Yugi wasn't too hungry as it was, and knew that he could last until morning, however, little stomachs need to be fed more than regular stomachs do…

Joey and Tristan nodded, understandingly. Tristan got up, and went down the hallway, and returned a moment later, two limp forms in his arms. "I figured since Atem was asleep, I'd check up on them… apparently they had fallen asleep next to the pool table," he finished. He carefully set them down next to Yugi, and the two forms immediately pressed up against him for warmth… which Yugi felt a little odd, since he knew that, even though they were children, they were adults in his mind.

"I have a quick question, before you leave," Ryou began, "What will happen once we restore them? Will they leave for the afterlife again?"

Yugi shook his head, "No, Horakhty said that they could live with us in this life, unless they wanted to return."

"When we restore them, do you think their personalities will be the same?" Marik asked.

Yugi thought about this a moment, taking care to jump back to the past to remember what they were like. "No. No, I don't think so. If their spirits are reborn, and raised right, then they would probably change. Otherwise, what would be the point in doing all of this?" Ryou nodded at this.

"No evil intent from them?" Tristan asked warily.

Yugi shook his head, "They're new. They don't have any troubles, or worries. A good childhood helps someone grow up to be great."

There was another moment of silence, then, "What do you plan on doing next, Yugi?"

Yugi closed his eyes, "I don't know, Marik. My next course of action, will probably be to wait for Horakhty's next step."

* * *

**Bakura's POV**

"Mariku, do you feel funny?" Bakura asked, quietly. He'd been feeling a little tingly ever since he had left Horakhty. He had assumed that it was just because of the woman's presence, but he was wrong. Horakhty had been gone for quite some time, and they were finally on their own.

Mariku had closed the door behind them, leaving Yugi and the others in the next room, talking about who-know's-what.

The game room was indeed big, but there wasn't much they could do. All the games were bigger than the two of them, so they would have to improvise.

"A little bit," Mariku answered, "You suppose Atem feels the same?" he questioned.

Mariku and Bakura made there way over to a big green table and sat down under it. "Maybe," Bakura said.

Both of them sat and stared at the other, wondering what to say or do next. "You feel like there's more going on here than everyone is telling us?" Mariku asked, breaking the silence.

Bakura nodded quickly, "I want to talk to Yugi about it, but I'm not sure... what if it's nothing?"

Mariku sighed, "Well, then we'll ignore it. If what's going on concerns us, then he'll tell us... right?"

"I suppose..." Bakura answered.

Mariku then brightened up, "Come on! Lets find something to do. There's bound to be toys in her somewhere..."

Bakura's eyes lit up a bit, and he crawled out from under the table. Mariku crawled out behind him; when they both got up, and were beside the big green table, Mariku pointed at the balls on it. "What about-"

Bakura looked at Mariku, and saw a worried look in his eyes. "What is it?" Bakura quickly asked, his concern for his friend growing with every passing second.

In a split second, Mariku's eyes rolled in the back of his head, and he crumpled to the ground, with a whimper. Bakura kneeled before him immediately. "Mariku!" he exclaimed, shaking the limp figure, "Mariku, wake up!"

Mariku didn't move. Bakura looked around in panic; he had to get Yugi or one of the other people. Mariku might be in trouble, and he had no clue what to do.

Bakura got up, ready to bolt for the door, but some thing washed over him. He didn't know what it was, but he suddenly felt heavy, and tired. He felt a his head loll backwards, and he felt the connection of the ground and his body. He still felt a little conscious, but he didn't know what was happening to him. He couldn't speak, and he couldn't even twitch a muscle. He felt a burning sensation in his head, and all over his body; it felt as if he were being burned to death. He smelled smoke, and he heard screaming and panicked voices ringing in his ears. He wanted to scream along with them, he wanted to escape the pain, even if it meant death; but, he knew this wasn't reality. It was a dream, a very vivid dream, one that he would not be able to escape so easily.

Was this what Mariku felt? And what about Atem?

He then heard a distinct voice; it was female, and calling his name. Not only his name, though; the female voice was calling for one other as well.

"Bakura! Nana!" were the two things the woman kept repeating over and over. He didn't know what was going on, but she was screaming the names over and over again, as if her life depended on it. Who was this Nana she kept calling? He faintly recognized the tone of the woman's voice, as if it should be familiar to him. The names sounded so natural coming from this woman, but yet, he couldn't put a face or name to the woman's voice. Was it his mother? Was it his sister? The mysterious woman kept on calling, and Bakura tried to respond. He yelled to her, but she didn't seem to hear him; Bakura kept on yelling into the darkness that swirled around him, a growing sense of entrapment entered him, as he struggled to make any sound that would get someone's attention, but it didn't work.

Would he ever wake up from this hellish nightmare?

* * *

**Well well... how do you guys like it? I know some of the chapters are going to be short... but I've been working on it. And for all my followers out there, I have not really been able to work on AAITF. I've been so busy lately, and with the death of two of my friends, it's been even harder. So, for that, I apologize. I will try to get back to it as soon as I can.  
Thank you for all the support so far!  
And for my new followers, welcome! I hope you like my story, and all the stories to come! :)**


End file.
